Wild scenes at North Sydney club as Perth Bears confirmed as new NRL team
Updated . First published
The Bears are officially back in the NRL with confirmation Western Australia has been granted the league's 18th licence.
The NRL, ARLC and WA government held a joint press conference in Perth on Thursday to announce the formation of the Perth Bears.
West Australian Premier Roger Cook had essentially confirmed as much on his social media accounts on Wednesday night.
READ MORE: Gus urges Blues to avoid Leniu 'gamble' in shock axing
READ MORE: The moment that all-but ended star's Roosters tenure
READ MORE: Konstas facing the axe in surprise Aussie shake-up
"Today we can announce the Perth Bears are about to become part of the National Rugby League competition," Cook told media on Thursday.
Upon the confirmation of the team's name, 9News cameras in the North Sydney Bears club in Cammeray captured the emotional reaction of supporters.
Bears supporters go wild as the Perth team is announced. Nine
The Bears were a 1908 foundation club in the NSW Rugby League, but left the NRL in 1999 and have not been back since.
Loyal fans have long maintained the Bears should be a part of the country's top league, and now they will be once more.
"Hell yeah!" one fan who was in tears said to 9News.
Watch the 2025 NRL premiership live and free on Nine and 9Now.
"We have waited since the 15th of October 1999 for this, over 9000 days.
"We never gave up believing that we would get our club back.
A Bears fan in tears in Cammeray. Nine
"We are Bears fans, we never give up, we always fight."
Cook said WA has not paid for a licence fee but has agreed to invest $65 million into developing the club and rugby league in the state.
It will mark the first time a Perth-based team has been in the top-flight rugby league competition in Australia since the Western Reds were kicked out in 1997.
The move will see the Bears name revived almost three decades after foundation club North Sydney was dumped.
"If there's a more loyal bunch of supporters in the world than the Bears, then I'm yet to see them," Bears loyal Murray said.
The new team's home games will be played at HBF Park, which will undergo a revamp before the Bears join the league.
ARLC chairman V'landys had waged a verbal war on WA premier Cook throughout the negotiations, and the deal looked to have fallen over more than once.
But the pair put their differences aside to meet at the table and get it done.
"The negotiations were like a game of rugby league - he was the halfback I couldn't catch," V'landys said.
Bears fans go wild in Cammeray. Nine
"He is certainly a wily character and a very good negotiator.
"But I think we are both very satisfied with the deal that's been done.
"The beauty of this team is you're going to have 200,000 members coming from NSW called the Bears, and the Bears are a very tribal club and they will travel.
"What the premier has done is a magnificent deal for the economy of Western Australia, but at the same time naturally rugby league will benefit."
V'landys took the chance to have a crack at the AFL by asking Perth fans to "get on board with the No.1 sport in Australia".
Western Australia has two teams in the AFL, as well as teams in the national basketball and football competitions.
